A new, 24/7 drop-off ballot box has been added outside the Manitou Springs City
Hall, 606 Manitou Ave., in time for the mail-in Primary Election, for which ballots
went out earlier this month.
Near the Westside, the Manitou box is one of 11 in all that are being provided this
election in El Paso County - the most ever, according to the County Clerk and
Recorder's Office.
“We worked hard to ensure that the vast majority of people were within a short drive of one
of our drop-off locations,” said County Clerk and Recorder Wayne Williams, asserting that
nearly all voters now live “within 10 minutes” of a drop-off.
The last day ballots can be submitted for the Primary is June 24. Earlier this month,
the Clerk's Office mailed out a total of 214,133 ballots. “In accordance with Colorado
law, the ballots were mailed only to voters affiliated with one of the three major
political parties - American Constitution, Democratic, or Republican Party,” a press
release states.
Depending on affiliations, voters on the Westside may get to decide among multiple
candidates for governor, congressional representative (District 5), county treasurer or
state representative (District 20, which includes the Westside area mainly north of
Fillmore Street). The full election, pitting eligible candidates from each of the parties
against each other, will be Nov. 4.
Other drop-off boxes on or near the Westside are a drive-up location outside the main
Clerk's Office, 1675 Garden of the Gods Road; and the downtown Clerk's Office in
Centennial Hall, 200 S. Cascade Ave.
Open weekdays, these two offices are also among four voter service and polling centers
(VSPCs) the county is providing. VSPCs “accommodate changes in voter registration for
unaffiliated voters wishing to participate in the Primary, supply replacement ballots for any
voter that needs one, and assist with other voting related situations,” the release states.
If a ballot is mailed in, the county recommends not doing so later than June 19. All
ballots must be received (not postmarked) by June 24 at 7 p.m.
For more information, call 520-7322.